Dance in NYC This Week

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Madelyn Ho and Justin Kahan in “3 Epitaphs” in 2010.CreditAndrea Mohin/The New York Times

By Brian Schaefer

Dec. 15, 2016

Our guide to dance performances.

‘THE HIP-HOP NUTCRACKER’ at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (Dec. 17, 3 p.m.). Like a Shakespeare play, the ubiquitous “Nutcracker” has spawned countless versions that relocate the tale to different eras, absorbing various musical and aesthetic styles. In “The Hip-Hop Nutcracker,” the kingdom of the sweets is a nightclub in New York, circa 1984, where the protagonist, Maria-Clara, witnesses the meet-cute of her parents. The concept allows for a broad sampling of hip-hop dance from its birth to contemporary times, performed by a stellar cast of accomplished dancers and directed by Jennifer Weber, founder of the theatrical hip-hop troupe Decadancetheatre. (2:00 including intermission)888-466-5722, njpac.org

LESLIE CUYJET AND LELA AISHA JONES at Gibney Dance: Agnes Varis Performing Arts Center (Dec. 16-17, 8 p.m.). In Gibney Dance’s Double Plus series, an established choreographer selects two intriguing, like-minded artists for a split-bill program. For this round, the choreographer Cynthia Oliver presents Leslie Cuyjet and Lela Aisha Jones. In “Alike,” Ms. Cuyjet considers her personal history by “tracing memories held within the body.” In “Plight Release & the Diasporic Body: Jesus & Egun,” the Philadelphia-based Ms. Jones, whose artistic practice is informed by her social activism, pulls from theology, house dance and Yoruba traditions to meditate on spirituality from multiple angles. (1:00)646-837-6809, gibneydance.org

OYU ORO AFRO-CUBAN EXPERIMENTAL DANCE ENSEMBLE at Aaron Davis Hall, City College Center for the Arts (Dec. 17, 7 p.m.; Dec. 18, 3 p.m.). This New York-based folkloric dance and music ensemble celebrates and promotes Afro-Cuban culture. The group’s new work, by the troupe’s founder, Danys Pérez (known as La Mora), is “Siete Mares” (“Seven Seas”), a dance drama that draws from Afro-Cuban mythology. Local artists and 10 guests from Cuba interpret the tale of Yemaya, a Yoruban spirit who reigns as queen of the ocean and maternity. (1:30)212-650-6900, citycollegecenterforthearts.org

THE STATE BALLET THEATER OF RUSSIA at Kingsborough Performing Arts Center (Dec. 16, 7 p.m.). For aficionados of “The Nutcracker” seeking the endless, subtle variations that a new company or artist can bring to this holiday tradition, here’s another one to add to your collection. The State Ballet Theater of Russia, founded by the ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, brings the expected Russian poise and grandness to this story of adolescent awakening on Christmas Eve. Marius Petipa’s choreography forms the base, mixed with that of Vasily Vainonen, a noted choreographer for the Kirov (now Mariinsky) Ballet in the 1930s. (1:47 including intermission)718-368-5596, onstageatkingsborough.org

TAYLOR 2 at the 92nd Street Y (Dec. 16, noon and 8 p.m.; Dec. 17, 8 p.m.; and Dec. 18, 3 p.m.). For an artist who remains as prolific as Paul Taylor, it’s easy to lose track of the early work and forget how trailblazing he was. This weekend, Mr. Taylor’s junior ensemble, Taylor 2, will present some of the work that put him on the modern-dance map more than 60 years ago. The lineup features “3 Epitaphs” (1956); “Junction” (1961); “Tracer” (1962); and the masterpiece that soon followed, “Aureole” (1962). On Dec. 16 at noon, the 92nd Street Y presents “Tracer,” with reconstructions of the original costumes and sets by Robert Rauschenberg; “Imperial Gesture”; and “Aureole.” They will be followed by a conversation with Kim Jones, a former Martha Graham dancer, about the process of reconstruction. (Each program runs one hour.)212-415-5500, 92y.org